Request Approval for Professional Development Funding

On the Professional Development and Travel Funding approvals site you'll click the "Submit New Request" button to complete the Division of Extension Professional Development/Travel Application. Complete the form. 

• Available for faculty and staff with a direct Division of Extension appointment.
• Application submission precedes the date of activity.
• Awarded funds must be used within the fiscal year (July 1-June 30). 

Professional development funds are managed centrally. All employees are eligible to apply for professional development funds from the central pool.

• Colleagues are limited to no more than $2000 every 2 years, (based upon the State of Wisconsin biennial fiscal year which covers July 1 of one odd-numbered fiscal year through June 30 of the next odd-numbered fiscal year) except under special circumstances that require DLT representative approval, such as when travel to a national professional development event exceeds this threshold.
• There is no limit to the number of applications accepted from an individual, provided the funding is available and the bi-yearly limit has not been reached.
• Individual requests will be considered in the context of prior requests and equitable budget allocation.
• Additional funding may be sought by the applicant (such as grants, association funding, or local county funding) to augment Extension support.

Professional development which is appropriate for your work may include:

• Workshops
• Tours
• Regional Conferences
• National Conferences
• Professional Development Materials

Please note: professional development that is done for credit or taken at an institute of higher learning (college, university, technical college) requires additional paperwork and approval. You should still use the workflow for these types of requests, and additional details related to these requests can be found in the workflow. Your immediate supervisor will work with you to complete the additional paperwork.

If your request is fully approved, you can complete your professional development. After your professional development is complete, you will use the normal purchasing and eTER processes to request reimbursement of your expenses (if funds were granted). The Office of Financial Services will provide funding strings when they approve your request. Funding strings will be noted in the approval email you receive as well as in the list item.

To get the required documentation to submit with your eTER, please use the "Send as Email" button in your "My Requests" view to send yourself an email of the request (with approvals). From there, use File -> Save as Adobe PDF to get a PDF of the approval with cost and funding string information. 

Requesting FoodWIse professional development funds, base funds, permission to use base funds for professional development, or permission to travel outside of the North Central Region or internationally has been consolidated into a single process. To use this process, you must be:

1. Requesting or using Extension divisional base funding (i.e., funds that are not from grants, contracts, program revenue, gifts, or county budgets) for business travel outside of the North Central Region OR
2. Requesting or using Extension divisional base funding for professional development in any location OR
3. Traveling outside the United States (whether or not you are requesting base funding) OR
4. Requesting FoodWIse grant funds for professional development (regardless of location).

If you are traveling within the United States/attending professional development using funds other than Extension divisional base funds, you do not need to submit an approval request. 

If you are using base funding for travel within the North Central Region for business purposes, you do not need to use this flow and can work directly with your supervisor for permission.

Q: What is the difference between Professional Development and Business Expenses for purposes of this workflow?

 A: If the engagement (conference/travel) is an integral part of your job (presenting/being a part of a work team/etc.) that would be a business expense. If the engagement is not directly related to your day-to-day obligations but provides the opportunity to learn new or emerging skills or techniques, it would be considered professional development. There are times when you may both be presenting/participating and attending to learn new skills or techniques; in those instances, please choose what feels most appropriate. If you have uncertainty about which of these two definitions apply, please discuss the question with your supervisor or department chair. As a reminder, the division has central funding available for professional development, but business travel is generally covered using individual/unit funds rather than central funds.

Professional Development Funds FAQ